Hulshof energy plan calls for drilling for oil … in Missouri

We hear a lot of calls to expand drilling for oil here at home. And, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kenny Hulshof (R-MO) embraces that idea. But when he calls for drilling at home … he means right here in Missouri.

Oil in Missouri? Absolutely. According to Hulshof, experts estimate Missouri has anywhere from 1.4-billion to 1.9-billion barrels of heavy oil in the western part of the state. Extracting and refining heavy oil is expensive and is not economically viable when the price of a barrel of oil is around or below the $50 mark, but with current prices topping the $100 mark, pumping heavy oil out of the ground and refining it might not be such a bad idea, after all.

Hulshof’s plan would address what he sees as a lack of reliable information, research, and energy infrastructure holding back his proposal to drill in the Show-Me State. To that end, he wants to accurately document the extent of Missouri’s energy supply, fund exploration research, and construct an oil refiner in Missouri.